MY LIFE is excited to announce that
our seventh annual MY Fest will take
place Sunday, March 23, 2014 from
12-5 p.m. MY Fest is a FREE music,
art, entertainment and youth
involvement festival hosted by MY
LIFE (Magellan Youth Leaders
Inspiring Future Empowerment) to
raise awareness about mental health,
substance abuse, foster care and
other issues facing youth and young
adults. MY Fest will feature live
music, a break dancing stage and
crew competition, entertainers, artists, food, youth groups, and a variety of youth and familybased organizations offering information, resources and services. MY Fest 2013 drew a crowd
of nearly 9,000 people and featured 80 youth and family serving community and social service
organizations. This free community event has become the largest-ever youth led and organized
event in the country drawing attention to behavioral health issues.
MY LIFE youth and their supporters have produced 6 MY Fest events in Arizona that have
inspired and educated over 30,000 community members about mental health, substance abuse
and foster care-related issues in order to share resources, create awareness and reduce stigma
associated with these issues. MY LIFE is made up of youth between the ages of 13 and 23
who have experience with mental health, substance abuse, juvenile justice and foster carerelated issues. Through regular meetings, special events and local and national workshops,
presentations and performances, the group focuses on important issues affecting youth. MY
LIFE is turning youth voice into youth action and is playing a vital role in helping to improve the
community programs and systems. Additionally, the group is responsible for advising
behavioral health professionals, community stakeholders and government officials on the issues
affecting child/adolescent and young adult programs and services, and providing outreach to
help reduce the stigma associated with being a young person living with a mental illness and/or
substance abuse issues. MY LIFE members provide support for their peers; develop critical
skills in LEADERSHIP, mentoring and mental health resiliency; act as advisors to local officials
to help improve services and systems that serve youth; and provide a much-needed voice in the
community to COMBAT the STIGMA
associated with behavioral health issues.
Simply put MY LIFE provides a venue
where youth can overcome their personal
challenges with SUPPORT from their
PEERS, develop and hone their
leadership skills, and use their voices to
INSPIRE and create positive CHANGE
for themselves and others in the community. In addition to helping youth individually, MY LIFE
also has been very beneficial to programs and systems that serve youth by bringing about